Sourdough Doughnuts with Vanilla Glaze

8 April 2024

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Published: Apr 8, 2024 Last updated: Apr 8, 2024 by Shelby Law Ruttan · As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

If you love the flavor of sourdough, then you will be obsessed with this Sourdough Doughnut recipe! Fluffy and delicious, with a sweet vanilla glaze, they are the perfect addition to your cup of coffee.

A stack of 4 glazed sourdough doughnuts on a wood board with 1 doughnut leaning up against the stack.

There is nothing more enticing than the aroma of freshly made sourdough doughnuts fresh out of the deep fryer! These golden brown rings of dough are immersed in a light vanilla glaze for a sweet contrast to the tang of sourdough.

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I love making sourdough recipes, There is something so fulfilling about watching that active sourdough starter bubble up and grow! These sourdough donuts are a great way to use some of that starter!

These homemade donuts are such a great recipe. I grew up with my Mom’s Buttermilk Donuts and they are still a favorite of mine. However, I’ve been playing a lot with sourdough lately and these Sourdough Doughnuts are so fluffy, light, and delicious with a nice thick vanilla glaze (or no glaze!)

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Ingredients

I made my own sourdough starter to make this recipe. Its quite easy to make and is the most important element of making these sourdough doughnuts. You only need a few basic ingredients to make this very simple doughnut recipe. Below is an image and list of what is needed.

This is an overview of the ingredients. See the recipe card below for amounts and instructions.

To make this recipe you will need:

All-purpose flour: feel free to substitute white whole wheat flour if desired.
Granulated sugar: you will use just enough to sweeten the doughnut.
Large eggs: these should be brought to room temperature before adding to the sourdough mixture.
Salt: balances out the flavor in the doughnuts.
Butter: adds flavor to the doughnuts.
Active sour dough starter: gives these doughnuts their unique flavor.
Powdered sugar: used to make the glaze.
Vanilla extract: adds flavor to the vanilla glaze.
Whole milk: feel free to substitute reduced fat milk or non-dairy milk if desired.

How to Make Sourdough Doughnuts

Sourdough starter, eggs, milk, and oil in a white mixing bowl. — 1) Mix together warmed milk mixture with the eggs and sourdough starter.

Wet donut ingredients with dry ingredients on top of wet in a white mixing bowl. — 2) Dry Ingredients added to wet ingredients.

Donut dough resting in a glass bowl. — 3) Shape dough ball and set to rise in a warm place.

A large bowl with proofed sourdough doughnut dough — 4) Fully proofed sourdough donut dough

Doughnut dough rolled out onto a floured surface. — 5) Roll out the donut dough.

Donut dough cutouts on a floured surface. — 6) Donut dough cut-outs.

Sourdough doughnut cutouts rising on parchment paper. — 7) Allow the donut cut-outs to rest before frying

Fried sourdough doughnuts on a wire rack. — 8) Fry doughnuts and place on wire rack to glaze.

Fried and vanilla glazed sourdough doughnuts on a wire rack with parchment paper below the rack. — 9) Allow glazed doughnuts to fully dry before storing.

In a large saucepan over low heat, warm milk, sugar, and butter until butter has just begun to melt. Ensure mixture is warm, not hot, when mixed with sourdough starter to avoid destroying natural yeast. In a large bowl combine milk mixture, sourdough starter, salt, and eggs. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, blend until ingredients are combined.
Add 2½ cups flour to the sourdough batter and then mix until a tacky dough forms. Allow donut dough to rest for 10 minutes. Add a tablespoon or so of flour and knead for another 4-5 minutes.
Transfer donut dough to a lightly floured surface, kneading by hand until no longer sticky, forming a smooth elastic ball. Place donut dough in greased bowl, covering with a damp kitchen towel or plastic wrap. Let dough rise in a warm place (room temperature ~ 70 degrees F) for 3-6 hours, or until doubled in size.
Punch out fully proofed dough and transfer to a lightly floured surface, using a rolling pin.
Roll dough out until approximately 1 inch thick. Using a donut cutter dipped in flour, cut out donuts and donut holes. Place donut cut outs on a lightly floured surface, letting rest for 1 hour to become slightly puffy.
Preheat oil in a deep dutch oven to 350ºF. Gauge the oil temperature by using a candy thermometer. While the oil is pre-heating, make the vanilla glaze. In a medium bowl, mix together the confectioner’s sugar, whole milk, and vanilla extract until smooth. Set aside.
Once oil has reached desired temperature, gently place doughnut cut-outs and doughnut holes in hot oil and fry for 1½ minutes per side then using a slotted spoon, remove doughnuts from the oil and place on paper towels to drain. Once drained, transfer to a wire rack over a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
Cool donuts for 5 minutes, then dip donut in glaze, immersing it completely to coat. Place glazed donuts on cooling rack to dry.

Hint: I love to use this sturdy doughnut cutter that will cut both the ring and donut hole at the same time!

Sourdough Doughnut Variations

There are several ways you can enjoy different flavors with this sourdough doughnut recipe. Below are just a few ideas!

Cinnamon sugar doughnuts: skip the vanilla glaze and place hot doughnuts in a paper bag with ½ cup granulated sugar and 1-2 teaspoons ground cinnamon. Shake the bag to coat the doughnuts and store as directed.
Powdered sugar doughnuts: place 1-½ cups powdered sugar in a paper bag. Place warm doughnuts in bag and seal. Shake to coat doughnuts with sugar and store as directed.
Maple Glazed: substitute maple syrup for the milk in the glaze ingredieints.

Check out these Apple Cider Glazed doughnuts and give these Sourdough Doughnuts the cider glaze!

Equipment

When making sourdough doughnuts it is important to have a good doughnut cutter. I prefer this stainless steel cutter made by Winco. And, a good deep fry thermometer is important to keep the oil at the correct temperature during frying.

A cooling rack and parchment paper are handy for glazing and catching any drips from the vanilla glaze.

Storage

Store the wet ingredients (lettuce, tomato, onion) separately from the dry ingredients (buns) in the fridge, and recombine when ready. Good for 2-3 days.

These ingredients do/don’t stand up well to freezing for X days/weeks/months.

One sourdough glazed doughnut broken in half to show the inside of the doughnut.

Top Tips

I recommend using solid vegetable shortening for frying and don’t add the doughnut dough to the oil until it has reached the 350 degree temperature. Adding before the shortening has reached temp can cause the doughnuts to be heavy and grease soaked.

Once you have used the shortening once, you can save it to use one more time for doughnut making. Just store in an airtight container on a shelf in your pantry.

FAQ

Can I use the discard to make sourdough discard donuts?

While active sourdough starter is preferable for optimal flavor and rise, you can certainly use discard starter. Just note that the flavor may be less pronounced, and you may need to adjust the rising time accordingly.

Do I need to add commercial yeast to my sourdough?

As long as you are using active starter, you should not need to use yeast.

Can I bake these doughnuts instead of frying?

While frying yields the classic crispy exterior, you can bake these doughnuts at 375°F (190°C) for 10-12 minutes until golden brown. Brush them with melted butter before baking for added flavor.

Can I freeze sourdough doughnuts?

Yes, you can freeze the doughnuts, but do so without the glaze. When ready to consume, warm the doughnuts slightly and then dip in the vanilla glaze as instructed.

Looking for other recipes like this? Try these other donut recipes:

Pairing

These are my favorite dishes to serve with Sourdough Doughnuts:

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When you make these sourdough doughnuts, please comment below and let me know what you think. I’d love it if you tag me on Instagram @grumpyshoneybunch or #grumpyshoneybunch so I can see your photos!

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